Poor Souls
by be.crazi.forever
Summary: We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
1. Prologue

Hey lovely readers! This is my first Avengers fic so be nice. This chapter is also fairly short so forgive me. Anyways, enjoy my lovelies:)

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Shouts echoed through the forest. A child's cry pierced the air, as she was jolted around in her mother's arms. Her father was running a few feet behind them. More shouts. More footsteps. More tears. She didn't know what was going on but by the look on her mother's face, the way she was jostled around, the way she mother's beautiful golden hair flung around her face, she was sure that something was wrong. What was wrong though, she wasn't sure.

Her mother swiftly ducked under a branch and continued running with her three day old daughter in her arms. She looked down quickly and saw that the infant was still wrapped carefully in a simple Asgardian blanket she had knitted three months into her pregnancy. She hadn't known the gender of her child so the cloth was red: the colour of strength. She looked over her shoulder to see the father of her child following behind her, shooting arrows at their pursuers. She flicked her head to the side in an effort to brush her chin length blonde hair from her face. A few stray tears leaked from her deep green eyes. She gripped her daughter tightly and ran faster through the bush.

He watched as the woman who changed his life ran in front of him. When he first met her, he was arrogant and naïve. She changed his life for the better and she gave him a child: A beautiful baby girl with pale green eyes and a patch of white hair atop her head. Her tiny ears were pointed and her nose was straight. She was wrapped in the red blanket covered in Asgardian symbols that her mother had made almost six months ago; when they were hiding from two armies. Now, ironically after the birth of their child, the Asgardian army had found them and was now chasing them deep into the forest in hopes of taking the child. He could only fear what they would do with her. He turned and buried an arrow in the gut of a warrior who fell to the ground, dead. Grimacing at the sight of unnecessary death, Olvirin turned and sprinted into the forest behind his beloved.

His long white blonde braid trailed behind his head and his wooden bow was flung back and forth in his hand as he ran. He carried no arrows as the bow was infused with magic and every time he pulled the vine back to fire, an arrow made from pure energy appeared and was fired at his target. The bow was engraved with designs and, to the simple being, doodles you decorate a writing slab with. But in truth, they told the story of a young prince and his becoming a warrior and eventually falling in love. It told his life story. To other realms, it would be said impossible to carve so much detail and information onto something so thin and narrow but every carving that is made on the bow of a high light elf, the symbols and drawings will decrease in size until it appears to only be scribbles. Every scribble on a high elf's bow is a part of their life. Their weapons are their books. This bow was raised and released another arrow. Olvirin grimaced once more then ran into the forest, shouts and taunts from Asgardian warriors reaching his pointed ears.

She ran as fast as she could through the forest; jumping over fallen trees and ducking under low branches. A whimper escaped the mouth of her small one and she cooed gently at her daughter without slowing her pace. She looked up and horror filled her chest and mind, leaving a simple numbness. She planted her feet in the ground and shielded her child to her chest and turned in an attempt to hide her. The Alfheim army stood in front of her, blocking her path and allowing no escape. Light Elves stood on the ground of sat on a white horse with a bow in their hands. The sound of hooves and footsteps came from behind her as the Asgard army and Olvirin came into the clearing. She clutched her daughter tightly and stood her ground. She didn't turn to face the young Elvan prince she came to love even as he screamed her name. All that mattered now was the safety of her baby.

"Lady Toril," her head flickered up a little while still keeping her child hidden from the warriors surrounding her. King Odin of Asgard and the god Frey of Alfheim stood before her. Odin stood dressed in his silver battle armour and red cape. His face was wearing a displeased expression and his grip was tight on his spear, Gungnir. Frey stood beside him with a similar expression on his face only with a hint of regret. His hands were at his sides and he wore the battle armour of light-elves: loose fitting clothing, boots, and a bow. He looked very underdressed compared to the Allfather but every warrior here knew better; the two were evenly matched.

"Yes Allfather?" Toril responded in a quiet voice that Odin barely heard her and Frey didn't even. With one look from Odin, he understood. Nodding, he took a deep breath and stepped towards Toril, who cringed and turn away from him more. He stopped and let out his breath.

"Give us the child," he demanded softly but to her, it was as if he'd held a knife to her throat and threatened the life of every person she loved. Her eyes widened and she let out a scream of desperation so loud it could have been heard from the edge of the forest. Surprised by the sudden noise, the horses screeched and became erratic. The warriors became occupied with calming the mad horses and not guarding Olvirin. He noticed this and sprung into motion. He killed the two guards that had stayed with him and ran as fast as he could behind Odin and Frey. A quick shout from an Elvan warrior alerted the two rulers. Odin spinned around and tried to dodge Olvirin's arrow but he wasn't fast enough and it buried itself in his right shoulder. Beside him, Frey dodged Olvirin's arrow and pulled his golden sword from its hilt. He stalked toward Olvirin and the two began to battle.

Olvirin backed away a few steps, as he didn't want to fight the ruler of his realm, he just wanted to escape with Toril and his child. But he knew there would be no way to escape Frey if he ran further into the forest for he had mapped down every individual tree and bush in all of Alfheim. There would be no escape, no refuge. This reality sunk into Olvirin's mind as Frey lifted his golden sword and brought it to his side.

"I'm sorry my friend," he whispered to Olvirin and he was truthful. The two royals had been close friends for most of their lives. Maids would always be weary going around corners in the halls as Frey and Olvirin were always running about. They braided each other's long white hair before battle and told each other stories that varied from the reaction of tears of laughter to tears of sadness. They were truly inseparable. But like in every story, friendship never lasts.

"As am I," Olvirin said no more as he flung himself as Frey. He ducked under the swing of his golden sword, slid across the ground, and pulled his vine back and prepared to shoot an arrow through Frey's side and into his heart. Just as the arrow was about to pierce skin, Frey moved his sword quickly and sliced the arrow in half then kicked Olvirin in the shoulder. Olvirin rolled across the ground then he was stopped and thrown back onto the ground. He slowly picked himself up but his head connected with a metal object. He fell into the grass once more but quickly came to his feet, slightly dazed. Nonetheless, he whipped Frey across the face with the wood of his bow and charged him, a scowl firmly placed on his face.

While this all transpired, Toril was slowly backing out of the clearing and towards a small gap between two trees. When she was close enough, she looked over at Olvirin. As if he could sense her eyes on him, he quickly thrust his foot up between Frey's legs and tossed him to the side. He turned his head to look at her. A silent message was communicated between the two. Toril thrusted her head towards the gap and he understood. He looked around and saw that the warriors were finished calming down the horses and were gathering their weapons. Odin was ripping the arrow out of his shoulder and Frey was struggling to get to his feet. If there was a time to run, it was now. So he ran. As fast as his legs could carry him he ran towards her, towards their daughter, towards their escape.

They both ran through the gap together. They ran with each other with Toril holding their child and Olvirin carrying his bow. He ran behind her so he could kill any followers from Asgard and Alfeim's armies. She slipped between narrow trees and avoided pointed branches and scratchy leaves. Their breaths were heavy and their feet fumbled through the thick grass. But they continued to run. They ran around rocks. They ran under branches. Eventually, they came to two trees side by side. They ran through them without a second thought. They ran until they realised that they weren't in the forest anymore. The halted to a stop just before they feel over the side of a large hill they were suddenly standing on.

"Olvirin," Toril quietly beckoned him. He turned to look at her expecting those brilliant green eyes to be staring into his hazel ones but they were fixed on something in the distance. Following her gaze, he knew where they were. Large structures with lights were standing in the distance. Metal chariots were being driven down paths and more were pouring into the area from larger pathways. Midgard. Where the humans live. Dull beings; no real advantage over any of nine realms except for their potential in intelligence but most humans never capitalize on this and live utterly meaningless lives. Olvirin and Toril both believed this notion. They believed that this realm could be the perfect place to hide from forces that wished to kill them and their daughter. Midgardians were such simple creatures. "We've escaped them," she said in complete awe and relief. "Portals only transport once then they close forever, we're safe."

"We should go into the city," Olvirin suggested and he started down the hill but was stopped by her voice.

"What of your looks?" her voice was strained but still carried the same intensity and force that he had fallen in love with. Smirking slightly, he turned around to face her.

"My love, are you afraid that the ladies of Midgard will woe me?" he asked in a light manner. She scowled and promptly smacked him upside the head with one hand while holding onto their daughter in the other. She then grabbed his pointed ear and yanked it lightly. He yelped.

"I'll not be worried about such a notion, _my love_," she said tauntingly. "Your ears will be very noticeable and alien to Midgardians as theirs are more comparable to my people's," Toril let go of his ear and his hands flew up to rub it.

"You are correct, my love, as always," he then put his hand on his chin and tapped it exaggeratedly make Toril laugh despite the serious situation.

"I could use a simple disguise enchantment," he said and not a second later, he began to mumble and spin his hands around each other. Blue energy seeped into his hands and he gently put them to his heart. The magic worked instantly. His ears began to change shape and you could hear the cartilage breaking and moving. Olvirin's face was emotionless but he still flinched at every snap. After about fifteen seconds, colour came back to his new ears and Olvirin opened his eyes.

"Now you look like a true Migardian," Toril said approvingly and she was right. Olvirin was strong but he didn't have a huge build like most Asgardian men so he looked more like a Migardian. For that one moment, Toril was so sure everything would be fine. They would escape into this city on Midgard, they would raise their daughter the ways of Asgard, Alfheim, and Midgard, and they would be a family. But when she looked down at her sleeping baby, her heart dropped into her stomach. Her little baby girl had pointed ears. There was no way they could use a disguise spell because that freezes your face while changing a few or no aspects of your appearance. "Olvirin, what of her?" she looked at him and her heart nearly broke at the sight of his despair. He too had realized that his daughter had no remedy, no disguise, and no place to hide from those who wanted to kill her. He thought hard about any options he could do until he came to one that was perfect, horribly perfect. It was the last spell he wanted to do. Turning to Toril, tears filled his eyes to the brim. She watched as a tear made it's way down Olvirin's face.

"The _Skift_," she shook her head violently. She would never do that. They'd risked so much for the thing they where about to change. Never.

"No," she said firmly, literally stomping her foot down. This caused a boulder ten feet away from them to crack in half. "We've risked too much for the heritage of our child just to throw it away like so," drawing in a shaky breath, she drew her daughter up to her face and buried her head against her daughter's body. She felt as her tiny chest rose and fell with her breaths as she slept. She turned her head and saw her little mouth open as she breathed through her mouth. Her white eyelashes fluttered in her sleep. Toril knew that if her daughter opened them, they would reveal green eyes that were so pale they almost looked blue. The strands of white hair atop her tiny head were so straight they fell against her baby's forehead. She was beautiful. She was perfect. She decided that she was too perfect to be put in danger. She heard footsteps and Toril felt a hand on her shoulder. Olvirin wrapped his arms around Toril's and his daughter's. He too leant down and held her. He kissed her cheek and played with her fingers. It was at that moment that their baby girl woke up. Her eyelashes fluttered against Olvirin's forehead and he pulled back to look at her. Her light green eyes stared back at him. Her small mouth tugged at the corners and turned into a smile. She was beautiful. She was perfect. He decided that she was too perfect to be put in danger. He lifted his head to look at Toril. She was staring at him looking very tired.

"Do it," she muttered looking back down at her daughter. She felt so tired, so finished, so defeated. She'd hidden for nine months then ran for three days. She hadn't even been able to name her daughter, the part of her daughter that was half-Asgardian and half-Light Elf, not her daughter who was Midgardian. In a minute or so, that's what she will be. The only way to hide her will be to change her, completely. She looked up Olvirin. "How long will it last?" Olvirin looked at her, confused. His head was cocked to the side and her eyes narrowed. Usually his ears would flatten back against his head but now they stayed still.

"For however long I choose, why?" he asked her, head still tilted off.

"Eighteen," she suggested. His head moved back to where it was sitting normally atop his shoulders but his eyes were still narrowed.

"Then she will hunted and perused when she's older," he turned away from her, irritated. "Nothing will change, she'll still be in danger."

"We can train her," Toril pointed out, suddenly being filled with hope. Even if they weren't going to see their daughter in her true form, they could when she's older so they'll still see that natural beauty they both have fallen in love with. "We can raise her with as combination of Asgard, Alfheim, and Midgard! It'll be perfect!" Toril was yelling now, tears of hope pouring down her face.

"No!" Olvirin snapped at her, his voice cracking as he struggled to hold his tears. "We have to think about her! All you're thinking about is yourself!"

"No I'm not!" Toril countered, tension rising in the air and the baby started to whimper slightly. Toril stroked her face but didn't lower her voice or her intensity. "When she's older, she's going to want to know who she is, where she came from! If she's under the _Skift_ her whole life she'll never be able to see who she really is!" Olvirin, through his rage, saw the logic in this. No doubt she would want to know where she came from and once she knew she would probably want to be a part of their culture, their heritage. Olvirin let out a sigh and a brought a hand up to rub his brow.

"You are correct, my love, as always," he told her, smiling lightly and she returned it. He looked down at their daughter once more. He took in her white eyelashes and hair, her light green eyes that seemed to stare into his soul, her pointed ears that flattened themselves against her head when she was confused, her cute little mouth that was always curled up at the ends, and her tiny little hands. He touched her hair and realized that he wouldn't see that white hair until long after he forgot what it looked like.

Toril was doing the same thing as her love. She thought about what her daughter will look like growing up since she would be so different from her and her father, a different species in fact. What colour will her eyes be? Will they be just as beautiful as they are now, just a different kind of beautiful? Toril thought that they would, anything about her daughter will be beautiful. Then she remembered that her daughter was still without a name.

"We should name with form of her and a different name for her Midgardian form," she uttered quietly. Olvirin turned his head and looked at her. "I think… Skjønnhet," she smiled, proud of herself. "She looks like a Skjønnhet."

"So she does, my love, so she does," Olvirin mumbled, smiling. Then his face went blank and he looked into Toril's deep green eyes. "Are you ready?" she nodded grimly, all while gripped Skjønnhet tightly, causing a whimper. Olvirin looked down at her and smiled grimly. He then commenced the _Skift_. This time, red as red as the simple Asgardian blanket Skjønnhet was wrapped in seeped from the air in Olvirin's hands. Reluctantly, he put his hands on her chest, right above her tiny heart. The effect was instant. Those pale green eyes changed to a deep hazel. There white hair and eyelashes turned brown and her ears shrunk and morphed to those of Midgard. While all this was happening, Skjønnhet was crying and screaming while Toril tried uselessly to calm her. Olvirin felt evil. He was harming his daughter, he was the cause of her screams and he couldn't stop them. The pain was the side effect of every enchantment. Finally, after thirty seconds, it was finished. White hair turned brown, pale green eyes turned hazel, and pointed ears turned round. Toril calmed Skjønnhet and Olvirin looked at the ground, a war ragging within him. Finally, Skjønnhet was calm and Toril and Olvirin grimaced at each other. They grasped each other's hands and began their trek towards the city.

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Alright, that's the prologue! I know it's really short and confusing and frustrating and all that jazz but I promise that the next chapter with be more detailed and explain what's really going on more fully. Also, if you guys decided to keep reading this story, I'm not very efficient with updates. Between school, family, friends, and work, my plate is full and I only write when I have free time. But good news is that the next chapter is almost finished! I just have to finish a few more detail, edit, and it'll be ready to go up! One more thing, reviews keep me going. I've had stories where I'm writing them but not a lot of people review so I drop it. If you guys want to keep this story going, you gotta review! And no flames please, that's just rude. Okay... I think that about it :)

Until next time, darlings! kisses and hugs!


	2. Meet Seattle and Cash

Seattle ran through her small house, her long brown hair chasing after her. Her hazel eyes were wide with excitement. She ran into her mother's office and looked around quickly. Desk, closet, chair, curtains! Seattle sprinted for the curtains and flung them around herself. She sat on the window ledge so her feet couldn't be seen. Seattle stiffened when she heard light footsteps enter the room. She clamped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound of her heavy breathing but it was no use. Not five seconds later, Oliver flung the curtain to the side and picked up his fourteen year old daughter and swung her around, listening to her laugh.

"Pappa!" she squeaked delightfully and Oliver felt his heart swell with happiness. They had hidden for fourteen years without any sign from Asgard and Alfheim. When Olvirin and Toril had walked alongside what they now know as a 'highway', they came across a sign that read: **ENTERING** **SEATTLE.** This was first piece of their new lives, so that's what the named their little girl. Seattle Hyrmarsh. The last name was Olvirin's on Alfheim. Soon after entering the city, Olvirin became Oliver and Toril became Tory due to a miscommunication. Oliver used magic to make money for their new lives: 600 thousand dollars. With this money, they bought a small house at the city edge over-looking the ocean. That is where Seattle grew up. When she was learning English, she was also learning Norwegian, which was the language that was spoken across all realms. When she learnt how to walk and run, Oliver put a bow in her hand and Tory taught her how to fight. By the time she was six, she had completed ten years of tae kwon do and karate in three. She became an expert with a bow and she could speak fluent Norwegian, French, Spanish, German, and English. She was home-schooled and only had one friend: their neighbour, Cash. She was the same age as Seattle and the two have been close ever since they were toddlers. When the two girls were three, Cash walked in on Seattle reading out of a children's book written in Norwegian. Cash immediately demanded to be taught the language as well. After that, whatever lesson, whether it be language, fighting, or anything else, Cash was invited and she showed up. By the time Seattle had finished all of her lessons, Cash had too. The two were best friends, sisters even. Their parents were very close too. Cash's parents, Sage and Bethany were from the generation that grew up during the hippie era and Seattle wondered sometimes if they were permanently stuck there. They wore colourful and baggy clothing, aviators that were orange and green, and their hair was slick straight with bandanas. They named their daughter after the deceased Johnny Cash. Life had been good for the odd family.

"Pappa!" Seattle cried out, still laughing. Oliver smiled wickedly, flipped her small form, only 5'2 at fourteen years old, over his shoulder and carried her out of the room. "Pappa! Let me down!"

"I caught you, City," he said, tickling the bottom of her feet and making her giggle and scream. "You have to help Mamma with dinner now, that was our deal. If I catch you, you do chores."

"But I was going to spar with Cash!" Seattle whined.

"This is the punishment," Oliver said firmly. "You have to get better with stealth and hiding yourself in any environment," he said and Seattle crossed her arms over her chest as she bounced against her father's back with every step. What she said was true, at that very moment, fourteen year old Cash Morrison was waiting on the beach in the space between their houses with her hand-carved bo staff. She looked down at the sand and glared. City was over twenty minutes late and the sun on her bare shoulders was getting uncomfortable. Cash reached up to brush her long black hair out of her face. Her strict forehead bangs fluttered in the wind and her grip tightened on her bo staff. She waited for ten more minutes before stomping towards Seattle's house.

Their two houses were technically neighbours but they were separated by three hundred metres of sandy beach. Because Sage and Bethany Morrison had no idea what Tory and Oliver had been teaching their daughter during her visits, Cash and Seattle, or City as her parents and Cash nicknamed her, sparred in the space between their properties, if not closer to City's house so they weren't seen. The outcome of the fights was evenly matched; sometimes Cash won and sometimes Seattle won. But one not showing up to a spar was like a challenge to the other.

Cash stomped up the steps of Seattle's two-story house that was more like a cottage and flung the screen door open. Neither of them knocked when entering each other's houses as they'd been doing it for years and there was no need to. Cash walked in the front room and stopped, listening for noise. One of the things that Tory and Oliver had taught the two girls was how to scout and track; while Seattle was good at this skill, Cash was excellent. She crouched and listened very carefully for the voice she wanted to hear, blocking out everything else.

"…Cash is gonna skin me…" there it was. It was coming from the kitchen she decided as she stood up, staying low to the ground by bending her knees. She kept her bo staff to the side of her body in case of an attack from any direction. Tip-toeing down the hall towards the kitchen, Cash listened for any ceases in Seattle and, as she learnt a few seconds earlier, Tory's conversation that would mean they were alerted of her presence and any creaks in the floor boards that didn't come from her that meant an attack was imminent. She set another foot in front of her and put her weight on it. It was silent. She stepped forward and her foot was midair when she heard it: the creak so quiet no one else would have heard it. She stopped and suddenly swung her bo staff horizontally across her body. It was about to connect with Oliver's face but he ducked and grabbed her weapon as it passed over his white hair. He then yanked it and Cash fell to her knees, grumbled, and bounced back up again. Tory and Seattle had since come from the kitchen and were standing at the corner of the hallway, just outside the kitchen door. Tory was smirking and Seattle was wearing a frightful frown.

"Good job, Cash," Oliver complimented her, turning the bo staff around in his hand and holding it out to her. "You almost got past me that time. You're becoming very silent; I knew you were in the house by the slamming of the front door," he smirked at Cash's apologetic and guilty expression. He then looked over towards his daughter was cowering slightly behind her mother. City knew that not going to a spar with Cash was a death wish.

There had been one time seven years ago when the two girls were set up to spar each other for the right to ask a boy whose family had moved in a few streets away and was always playing at the park they did to come over to their house. Both girl wished the boy to be hers and they decided that they just couldn't share. They set up the date and time and gave each other their luck, an Elvan tradition that warriors did before they spared. They would put a hand over the other's heart and say the rhyme, "**I GIVE THEE MY LUCK AND TRUST AND MAY THE NINE REALMS LOOK UPON YOU IN FAVOUR**." Once Cash and City had done this and set up their spar and cleared their schedule. But one hour before their spar, the boy, Daniel, invited Seattle to come over to his house to play with his new baseball mitt he'd received for his birthday. City instantly forgot about the spar, the luck and trust Cash had given her, and Cash's rage.

She went over to Daniel's house and they played with his baseball mitts for a whole fifteen minutes before an evil looking Cash stood over them. She'd waiting for City at the beach for almost ten minutes before she realized that Seattle wasn't showing up for she was never late. A quick stop at City's house told her that she was on a play-date. Anger filled Cash's mind to the brim as she stormed down the street, flame scorches marking her trail on the sidewalk behind her.

When she saw the Seattle and Daniel were sitting on the ground looking at a brand new baseball mitt. She used her training to sneak up on them. When she was close enough, she grabbed Seattle's arm, heaved her to her feet, and before she had a chance to attack, she triggered a pressure point in City's neck, causing her to fall unconscious.

Cash barely noticed Daniel running into the house, crying and screaming, for she was too occupied throwing City over her shoulder and focused getting out of there before someone saw her. After that, Daniel's family moved away from 'the psychotic girls down the street' and into a different state. City had woken up on the hot sand and was forced to spar with a very angry Cash. She lost.

Now, Cash graciously took the staff from Oliver and turned her head slightly to give the evil eye to City, whose own widened and she whimpered. This caused Tory and Oliver's smirks to increase in size.

"Come now, Seattle," Tory cooed gently, pulling her daughter from behind her back and giving her a little shove in Cash's direction. "Cash is your friend and I'm sure she has a good reason for being upset with you. She always does," she finished, wiping her hands that were covered in flour on her apron. Sheepishly, Seattle walked slowly towards Cash, who grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her out of the house, muttering violently under her breath. The back door slammed shut.

"What a strange Midgardian," Tory commented, turning and walking back into the kitchen. It was outdated and looked like something from the 80s. The floor was a white tile, ugly fruit wallpaper decorated the walls, diamond backsplash was faded to an ugly peach, the appliances were old and useless, and the lights looked like they should be in a morgue. Oliver followed her in as she went back to the wooden island cart in the centre of the kitchen. There was a circular piece of dough that was covered in flour. Chopped vegetable were in bowls on a counter and tomato sauce was in a medium sized bowl with a wooden spoon sticking out of it.

"City wanted pizza?" Oliver commented, stealing a piece of green pepper from one of the bowls. Tory slapped his hand away and nodded. The whole family had become quite attached to this meal. In fact, the first building Oliver and Tory walked into for their new lives was a pizza parlour. Although they didn't buy any then due to the fact that they new nothing about Midgard and were still trying to figure everything out. They stumbled into the shop and demanded to be given shelter. They were kicked out.

"Yes," Tory said plainly, grabbing the bowl with the tomato sauce in it and started spreading it out on the dough. "She was quite disturbed by the idea that Cash was going to be very angry with her," she sighed and turned her head slightly to smirk at Oliver, who was leaning against the doorway eating a pepper he'd managed to steal behind Tory's back. "I told her she was being quite melodramatic but, it seems I was wrong and have sent our daughter to her doom," Oliver laughed and reached over to grab another pepper when Tory smacked his face with the wooden spoon, which was covered in tomato sauce. The red substance covered Oliver's left cheek and embedded itself in his white side bangs. He play scowled at her, which she promptly ignored and brought the bowls of vegetables over to the island and started pilling them onto the pizza dough.

"I'm sure City will be fine; Cash wouldn't kill her best friend," Oliver finally commented, using a paper towel to get the tomato sauce off his face and out of his hair. Well, he attempted to get it out of his hair but soon discovered he'd have to wash it to get it out. All the paper towel was doing is mixing it in. "Those two are tied at the hip," he finished, throwing the paper towel in the garbage. Tory nodded and finished putting the last of the toppings on the pizza. She gingerly slid her petit hands under the dough and hastily walked over to the oven. Tory used her foot to open the door and felt the hot air rush against her face, fluttering her short blonde hair. She carefully placed the dough on a shelf and closed the door. Oliver watched as she untied the apron from around her waist and pulled it over her head. Tory folded it and shoved it in a drawer. She then turned to Oliver with a playful smile tugging on her lips.

"We can only hope."

"Cash! Stop pulling my arm so hard!" Seattle yelped as her arm was slowly being pulled out of its socket. She watched as Cash suddenly stopped and turned her head slightly so Seattle could see her bright blue eyes looking surprising, and terrifyingly, calm. Cash brought a hand up to hook her long black hair behind her ear. Then, as quick as the speed of light, she brought her bo staff across her body in an attempt to catch City off guard and land a solid blow. If she were attacking anyone else, they would have been hit, but Seattle simply took a quick leap over Cash's weapon and unsheathed her own weapon: a smaller version of Cash's bo staff, only about the length of Seattle's leg. City took a step forward and made a stabbing motion towards Cash's left side, which was deflected by her own staff. They continued this violent dance for almost ten minutes; making motions towards each other with intent to harm and the other blocking or countering.

Finally, Cash took City's feet out from under her in a low sweeping motion and Seattle tumbled head first into the dirt, giving her chocolate brown hair blond highlights. Cash stood proudly above her and flashed a toothy grin, forgetting her rage now that she'd won.

"That was easy enough," she said smugly, examining her fingernails that sustained several chips from the fierce spar they'd just fought. "I was getting bored."

"Shut up Cash!" Seattle snapped at her, raising her head out of the sand and groggily getting to her feet. When she was finally standing, she started to brush the sand off her person. She ran her small but strong hands through her long hair and brushed off her t-shirt and leggings. "That spar could have gone either way, we were evenly matched," she huffed, picked up her custom bo staff and putting back in the pouch on her back. Cash just mockingly smirked at her while put her bo staff over her shoulders and behind her neck.

"Don't be a sore loser," her smirk grew. "I forgive you by the way."

"For what? I don't remember doing anything to you," City all but growled at her best friend who simply smirked at her.

"How quickly you forget that I had to drag you out of your house to spar…were you really that fearful of my superiority?"

"Shut up Cash, before I make you," City spat out darkly, turning away and starting to walk towards her house. Cash just chuckled silently before following her.

"Aww, don't be like that City," she started, smiling and giggling. She folded her hands atop the small of her back as she walked alongside Seattle. "You're no fun when—"

Whatever Cash was going to say caught in her throat before the sight in front the two girls who stood like statues in the sand; their faces the definition of horror. It was eerily quiet; no birds sang organic tunes, no animals roared or chirped, and no one was likely alive under the rubble of the totalled Hyrmarsh house. The house was reduced to a pile of wood, insulation, and metal. Fire was lit from somewhere inside the wreckage as smoke lifted into the evening sky; the foggy tinge of smoke looked so unnatural with the vibrant orange, pink, and red. Both girls stood there, unmoving, asking themselves how they didn't hear the house being destroyed, or how they didn't see anything at the least.

For one of the few times in her life, Cash had nothing to say, she was utterly speechless. This house was practically her home as much as it was Seattle's. She grew up here, trained here, and lived most of her life here. Oliver and Tory Hyrmarsh were like Cash's second parents. She took a step forward but her knees buckled and Cash fell to her knees on the hot sand. Hot pure agony filled her, and she was confused. She was livid, and then sadness washed over Cash like a tidal wave. She stared up at the home she'd known for her entire life and let a tear escape her right eye. It was the only tear she shed as she pulled herself together and began up the still-standing stairs. Little did she know that she'd cast her own spell with that one little tear: in that moment, she'd not only experienced her own emotions, but Seattle's as well. She experienced and inherited _Empati_.

Seattle's mind was moving a hundred miles an hour. She looked at her home and thought of everything that would be lost from this destruction. Her photos of her and her family, her clothes, her pet goldfish, Max his name was, the beautiful rug on the living room floor that her mother had hand-knitted, and…her parents. Confusion and shock turned into rage. Seattle barely noticed Cash falling to her knees. Seattle felt anger towards the person or people who would do this. She wished their death upon them. She was livid for a few more moments before realization came barrelling down on her. She struggled not to fall to her own knees as she considered the fact that her parents were probably dead, buried alive beneath the rubble. Tears slid down her face and dripped onto the sand below her as she screamed at herself inside her head. Why hadn't she heard the house coming down? Why hadn't she seen anything? How could she miss something this big? She was snapped out of her daze as she heard someone start up the stairs. She watched as Cash walked fearlessly up the stairs towards the rubble. City hesitated before running after her.

They walked in silence, neither knowing what to say. Cash walked over the rubble that was directly above where Seattle's room should have been before throwing the wooden planks aside. City was too stunned to stop, encourage, question, or help her. Cash finally broke through to the debris of City's room and retrieved some of her clothes. Stuffing them in a workout bag she'd found in the wreckage, paused, and reached down again. She pulled out a small red blanket, only large enough to hold a small infant child. It was knitted with a lighter shade of red that formed symbols neither of them could decipher from a glance.

"I remember this," Cash murmured, smiling softly. She then folded the blanket and put it in the bag too. She scrimmaged for some shoes and then money. She walked over to where the front entrance would have been and started to move the debris. Seattle was still simply rotating in the direction Cash was going and watching her. A sudden gasp from Cash and seeing her move the wood and metal pipes aside more quickly and messier, Seattle instantly moved forward. Upon looking down at Cash's feet, tears welled in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks.

Before her, lay Tory and Oliver Hyrmarsh, eyes closed, red liquid spilling from their mouths, and their arms wrapped around each other, as they lay deceased. Cash put a hand over her mouth to contain a sob and turned her head away. Seattle however, couldn't look away. Her parents looked so peaceful, so calm. She was glad that even though they were dead and not with her, they still looked so beautiful. She reached out a hand to touch her parents' faces one last time before she left.

She brushed her mother's beautiful golden chin length hair from her face and remembered how her mother called her City; with her accent it sounded magical and wondrous. Her fingertips brushed over her mother's lips then she pulled them away. She could hear Cash's muffled sobs from a few feet behind her but paid no attention. They would comfort each other later, after she properly said goodbye to her parents. Her gaze slowly shifted over to her father who had his face buried into my mother's shoulder. His long white hair was dirty and dirt covered his face. City went to touch his face as well, to try and recall the way he smiled, so she laid her fingertips against his mouth.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to be. The wreckage of my house, the corpses of my parents, Cash's empty sobs, they were gone. In the blink of an eye, touching my father's deceased skin had transported me somewhere. I didn't know where though, everything was white. I felt as though I was standing in a circle of skylights, all of them pointed at me. Suddenly, they all shut off and I was left in utter darkness. I looked around wildly but it was no use. There was no light coming from anywhere. Frustrated, I sat down and was surprised to feel sand under the fabric of my leggings and sandals. I smiled softly. At least one thing was normal. I'd woken up on the beach surrounded by utter darkness before thanks to Cash knocking me out during a spar and being too occupied to drag me back to my house. As I rummaged through my thoughts, I noticed a soft orange light in the distance. I stood up slowly and watched in awe as its light touched everything, including myself. I smiled at the sensation of the warm sunrays on my skin. I looked around to see where I was now that the sun had come to my aid. I was elated to find myself on the beach and I could see the top of my house in the distance. I started walking towards it when I heard a sharp whistle. I stopped and looked around for the cause of the noise. After a few moments I couldn't find it, I shrugged and turned back to my house. I ran there and looked up the staircase. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. There was a crowd of people on my porch looking like they were dressed up for a medieval festival. There were about ten men who wore the same armour and cold capes and fancy looking guns in their hands, and ten who wore loose and comfortable leather and held a bow in their hands. Each bow was carved with designs and each one was different. The thing that really stumped me was the fact that they didn't have and arrows. Finally, there were two men at the front door who were obviously the leaders. The one was very old with a white beard. From the angle I was standing at, it seemed that he was wearing a gold eye-patch. He wore gold armour with a red cape and a large and elegant spear in his hand. He was very serious but his form was slumped slightly to show he was hesitant. Next to him, looking far less impressive, was a younger man, maybe twenty-five to thirty-five, wearing loose fitting green cloth pants and a cream coloured tunic. His hair was blonde and he had a slight beard growing in. He looked very similar to the others wearing loose fitting clothes behind him other than the fact that a large gold sword was strapped safely to his left hip and his posture and confidence was screaming leader. These strange men stood only ten feet away from me but they had yet to be alerted of my presence. I stood there confused as they even turned in my direction, as if looking for something.

"They cannot see you, Princess Skjønnhet," a sweet female voice said near to me. I looked around but found no one. Even so, why did this voice address me by Skjønnhet? And Princess for that matter? I looked around more but I found no one. As I was just turning back to the group of men, she spoke again. "This is simply a memory, Princess, they are not really here," the voice was as sweet as honey and very comforting, I felt as though I could trust this voice with all of my secrets. The voice was also strangely young, my age if not slightly older. I whirled around, only to find nothing.

"Where are you?" I called out, frustrated. "Who are you?" there was a slight pause before the voice answered.

"Princess, I am behind you," I turned quickly only to see nothing. I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest. "You need to focus, Princess Skjønnhet, you will see me if you truly focus," I sighed and uncrossed my arms. I pressed my eyelids together and concentrated and seeing the face of the sweet voice. "That should be good, Princess," I slowly opened my eyes and promptly gasped. In front of me was a girl, no older than seventeen, with straight light pink hair and dark blue eyes wearing a white sundress…. she was also eight inches tall and was flying with blue wings that sprouted from her back. She was flying at my head level and a metre, give or take, away from me. I stumbled backwards away from her and she smirked slightly.

"Who are you? What are you?" I stumbled over my words, running a nervous hand through my chocolate locks. The girl smiled warmly at me as she clasped her hands in front of her person.

"My name is Tiva and I'm a woods sprite," she explained slowly. "I've worked with the royal family for almost my whole life; working my way up from servant to an advisor. The last royal member I worked for was Prince Olvirin…your father," she finished grimly, looking down at her hands sheepishly. I felt confusion rising in me, but more importantly, frustration.

"My father wasn't a wood sprite!" I spat at Tiva, pointing accusingly at her. "You can't honestly think I believe that crap! He was a normal human being! Same with my mother! They were normal!" I yelled at her, all of that day's frustration and anger coming out. "Even if it did matter, they're dead! They're dead…" I suddenly felt so exhausted and finished. I lightly put my head into my hands and refused the urge to sob. We stood in silence for a while; me breathing evenly into my hands and I had no idea what was going on with her. After five minutes of a, surprisingly, comfortable silence, she cleared her voice.

"I speak the truth, Princess," she sighed slightly. "But if you refuse to believe my words," motioned to the left with a graceful little point. I turned my head and watched as one of the men dressed in armour stepped forward and knocked on the door hesitantly, as if he was doing so for the first time. "You will have to simply see for yourself," I heard what she was saying and nodded dismissively but my eyes were glued to my father who opened the door and looked at the crowd outside in shock. He quickly slammed the door shut. Even though he was only there for a second, I had memorized his expression and every single one of his movements. The men one the porch stepped around the leaders and rammed into the door, breaking it in half. The only six of the armoured and non-armoured warriors ran inside the house while the rest stayed behind, obviously guarding it from any who came close. The older man turned back to them.

"Shoot down anyone and anything that comes near this place," he commanded them firmly. I took in his accent that wasn't all that different to my mother's. "They might have gained allies; but listen carefully, if a girl comes by here with snow white hair and pointed ears, shoot to harm not to kill," with that being said, he turned and followed the blonde man into my house.

"Tiva?" I called out turning my head slightly to see the wood sprite still by me, only now she was sitting atop my shoulder.

"Yes, Princess?" she responded obediently, twirling her long hair in her fingers.

"Who are they talking about?" there was a slight pause before I could feel a quick flutter against my neck and Tiva flew out in front of my face, her emotions unreadable through her blank expression.

"The person they speak of is you, Princess," she then turned and started flying up the steps towards the armed guards who just stood there dumbly, completely unaware. This didn't surprise me as Tiva had said they were just a memory; they couldn't see us. What surprised me is the fact that they were supposedly talking about me, I'm almost one hundred percent sure I don't have white hair or pointed ears. "You will believe me in a few minutes, Princess," she paused and turned around, her warm smile tugging at her lips again. She gave a motion for me to come and I hesitated.

If this was a memory, what would happen? I don't even know when this is taking place! Tiva seemed to read my hesitant and confused expression and swooped down towards me. She stopped in front of me and frowned deeply.

"This memory is going to hurt but it is necessary for you in order to know who you really are and to be prepared when the **_Skift_** wears off," I blinked in confusion and she ignored it by grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. I was taken aback by her strength, as her hand was only big enough to wrap around my pinkie finger.

We reached the top of the stairs and kept walking through the men and woman on my porch. Yes there was a woman.

She was dressed in the armour with a small red and black short skirt at the bottom. She had her hair down and it was long and black. It was wavy and reached the middle of her back. Her expression was stern and the grip on her double-ended spear with a place gripping it in the middle. She twirled it in her hand and I subconsciously feared for the men on the porch with her, for if she were to loose control it would most likely take at least one of their heads off. But she seemed so comfortable with the weapon that I pushed this fear aside; she'd obviously been using it for a long time and mastered it long ago.

I took my eyes off the woman and let Tiva pull me through the front door. The door had been left open and I could see into my house. As we walked down the hallway and past the bedrooms, I saw that a few things were disturbed but overall, the house wasn't destroyed. A few men were standing in the bedrooms and one in the bathroom, just in case I guess. At the end of the hallway is where the kitchen and living room are: turned right for the kitchen, left for the living room. As we neared the junction, I started to hear voices.

"Don't be difficult, Olvirin," this voice I recognized as the older man's commanded. Was he talking to his soldiers? But why would be telling them to stop being difficult, they probably wouldn't give him trouble anyways. Who was he talking to?

"Please my friend, just tell us where the girl is and we won't let her perish, she be kept safe-" this was a new voice; it was young but held wisdom and strength. Tiva and I turned the corner and I saw that the older man and the younger blonde stood proudly in the top half of my living room. They were looking down at someone but I couldn't tell whom because the hallway wall was blocking the other half of the living room. But when we got closer, I gasped and my hands flew up to my mouth involuntarily.

My parents were sitting on the couch; their hands tied and bruises were easily seen on their faces. A little blood trickled out of my mother's mouth and my father's hair was dirty. My breaths started to become laboured, my parents looked very similar to when they were dead and I was brushing their hair out of their peaceful faces.

"Safe?" my father sneered at the blonde man who was apparently the one with the wise but youthful voice. "You'll kill her the first chance you get; she's just a freak to you, you don't understand anything."

"I give you my word that she will be kept safe," the blonde man continued, which seemed to anger my parents more. This girl they were talking about was obviously very important to them. For a second I thought they might be talking about me but I quickly pushed that unsettling thought from my head. I really wished these scary and intimidating men looking for me, which would suck.

"There's no way we're handing over our daughter!" my father screeched at them and it earned him a smack from the but of a very alien looking gun. The spat out blood and glared at the men in front of him. My mother who was way calm than my father, who was glowering and breathing so hard I thought his lungs would collapse from the strain, looked at the older man.

"Please, Allfather, Odin, my friend," she listed off his names and I tensed. Odin, the Allfather, was a thing of myths. My parents taught my all about him; my mother spoke neutrally of him while my father had some kind of secret hate for him. He wasn't supposed to exist; he was a bedtime story!

"Don't doubt your mother's words," Tiva said softly, reading my mind once again. "He is truly Odin, the Allfather, ruler of Asgard," nodding doubtfully, I turned back to the scene playing in front of me. Odin seemed thoughtful as he stared at my mother.

"Lady Toril, Prince Olvirin," he addressed my parents and I turned to Tiva, my eyes and expression demanding an explanation.

"They are the true names of your parents," she started. "Your mother is from a wealthy Asgardian family and your father is a prince of Alfheim," My jaw dropped so that my mouth resembled the grudge's. I could hear Cash's knowing voice in the back of my mind saying, 'be careful or you'll let the flies out'.

"You are next in line to rule Alfheim after the god Frey," she made a motion towards the blonde man who watched my parents with troubled eyes. "That is why they want you dead," she continued with a dead tone. "Frey, he doesn't mind your existence all that much as he and your father were very close and he is not known for being power hungry, but Odin," she paused, hesitating but continued a second later. "Because you are two halves of the greatest and most powerful realms in existence, you're a threat to him," through the shock, I turned my head to look at her and saw she was glaring at him.

"If I was such a threat that my parents had to run away from their lives and hide me…" she looked over at me with wide eyes, knowing my next question. "…Why would they have me?" Tiva just looked at me with sad, wide eyes before turning back to the scene. I looked back too, but not before taking in a deep breath and trying to process everything that I'd just been told.

"If you give me the girl now," Odin continued talking as though time had stopped and waiting for Tiva and I to finish our conversation and pay attention again. "I will grant your daughter safety, no one will lay a hand on her," he smiled faintly but I wasn't convinced. If he saw me as a threat, killing me would be the safest option to ensure I never go against him or escaped.

"You lie!" my father screeched at him and him, apparently also unconvinced. I'd never seen my father so angry. He was also so peaceful and it warmed my heart but also scared me that this was his reaction to me being threatened. "You'll just kill her as well as us the moment we hand her over to you! We'll never surrender to you!" he finished and stood up threateningly. A guard grabbed his shoulders in an attempt to push him back onto the couch. His attempts were stopped when my father grabbed his hand with his bound ones and threw the man over his shoulder. The man hit the ground with a thud and a grunt and the room burst into chaos.

Odin and Frey stood back but not with having their weapons at the ready: Odin with his large spear and Frey with his golden sword. Their allies advanced on my parents with ease and the fight started.

Although he was still bound at the wrists, my father fought just as well if not better than he would if he could use his hands freely for now he had a reason to fight: me. I watched as my father backhanded and threw an armoured man down to ground before ducking below an almost transparent, glowing arrow. I looked up to an elf- they had pointed ears so I'm guessing that's what they are- and watched as he pulled the vine back on his bow. I gaped like a moron as an arrow started to materialize out of nothing. He fired and my father rolled out of the way. I heard a scream from the other side of the room and turned my attention there.

My mother was being seized by her short, beautiful hair and pulled up off her feet into the air. An armoured man brought his fist back to punch her in the gut but she brought her hands up to swing herself up around his arm. A horrible cracking sound echoed through the room followed by a scream of pain. My mother's hair was released and she took that advantage to kick the man in the nose, knocking him unconscious. She fought off warriors left and right.

Watching my parents fight I noticed something interesting. While my father's fighting style was fluid and graceful, like the wind flowing across the branches of a tree, my mother was fierce and more blunt, making quick jabs and kicks. Their fighting styles mirrored their personalities.

"Close your eyes, Princess," Tiva suddenly commanded me. Confused, I turned back to the fight and saw that my father had beaten all the warrior that had rushed and he was now walking towards Frey and Odin. They both tensed but only Frey walked towards my father. On the other side of the room, my mother flipped an elf over the couch and he crashed through our glass coffee table. She then hoped off the couch and stalked towards the three men near the TV. I noticed that ropes no longer bound her hands, the red marks on her wrist being the only clue they were ever there. Even though this was only a memory, I could still feel the tension in the air weighing down on me like a brick.

"Close your eyes, Princess," Tiva said more firmly. "This is something you don't want to see," I turned my head to glare at her but saw that she had her own glare in place. Slowly, reluctantly, I closed my eyes and listened solely to the sounds.

"I know you want to know what is going on but it will scar you," Tiva said softly into my ear, as she placed her two hands on the side of my head. "Even the words will harm you beyond repair," that was the last thing I heard before I shut down, that's the only thing I could call it. I was still conscious and aware but I couldn't move or hear anything. I could still feel everything thanks to the squeaky and unlevelled floorboards that tilted every time someone took a step.

I counted six steps before someone fell, hard. And they didn't get back up. Through my panic, I felt someone else fall, but they moved around and eventually got back up. After that, I counted fifteen steps, three jumps, and eventually, one hard fall. And they didn't get up.

I groaned loudly, well as loud as I could with my mouth closed, hoping to get Tiva to let my out of my inner prison. The hands on my scalp tensed then relaxed, getting the message, and slipped off. I opened my eyes and gasped for air. It was dramatic but I'd only been getting a little bit of air in that state. My eyes fell onto the living room floor and my eyes watered.

My father lay on his back, hair tousled around his head like a halo. His chest was red from a stab wound in his side. I hadn't seen it when I'd seen him the first time because of the debris. It intruded his side and I knew that it was what had ended his life, not the collapsing of the house. My mother was lying on her stomach beside him, an arm draped over my father's neck and collarbone. Her head facing me and I could see that blood was seeping out of her mouth. Blood pooled on the floor around her upper chest and head area, soaking her beautiful blonde hair red. It didn't suit her.

I took a shaky step towards them and I felt Tiva flutter off my shoulder. I took step after step toward my dear parents, each time thinking I'd fall before my foot touched the ground. When I was a foot away from my mother's head, I finally collapsed to my knees, sobbing hysterically as I crawled the rest of the way. I gently moved my hand over my mother's hair, watching as it slipped through her head to the floor. I heard movement behind me and I tensed. I looked over my shoulder to see Frey and Odin looking down at me in disbelief.

"W-what?" Frey managed to utter. I stood up fully and turned towards them, rage and fury clouding my judgement and confusion. My hands clenched into fists and my eyes slammed shut, hoping to stop the tears of frustration and grief. When I opened them, Odin and Frey were still looking at me as if I had three heads and ten eyes. "You just walked right through me," Frey finished, cocking his head to the side, his eyes wide and mouth handing open slightly. Odin composed himself and took a step forward.

"What is your name, child?" he asked politely, trying to make it seem like he was the hero in this situation. I saw through it easily. My parents, my best friends were dead because of him. I looked at their blades and saw that Frey's was clean while Odin's was covered in blood. I forced my eyes back to his one.

"You killed my parents because you think I'm a threat to Asgard," I stated flatly, evading his question and startling him. I noticed that Frey's eyes were swollen, like he'd been crying or about too. "You are now my enemy," I added with a little extra venom. I took a few steps forward, reached behind my back, and unsheathed my custom bo staff. I spinned it around in my hand and held it out threateningly at him. Odin simply smirked at me and went to brush it out of his face with the back of his hand. I knew what would happen so I stayed very still.

When his hand went through the wood, he looked at me in surprise and it was my turn to smirk.

"I tapped into my father's last memories and I got sucked into them. I watched everything from when you stood on my front porch, to when you murdered my parents," I spat at him. "I'm just in a memory, I'm not really here," I twirled my bo staff again and sheathed it. "But here me well, _Odin_," I hissed name like a curse. "Because I can't kill you now, I will not stop searching for you until you are dead at my feet," I took another step forward and noticed how he didn't take a step back, knowing fully that I wasn't a threat here. It was true but at least I could make my threats without the risk of an attack. I smiled mockingly at him and enjoyed watching as his one eye glared at me. I turned towards Frey who was still watching me like a science experiment.

"You look so much like them," he murmured, his eyes getting puffier. I swallowed my own tears and glared at him.

"Because you only stood by and let that war tyrant kill them," I pointed back at my parents' lifeless bodies. "You are just as responsible!" my voice accidently rose and I composed myself. "You were their friend, they trusted you and you decided to betray them," I bluntly turned and walked over to stand in between my parents' heads. I let a tear hit the floor before looking up at the wall. I could still feel Odin and Frey eyes on me but I didn't care anymore. I wanted to leave, to be freed from this nightmare.

"Tiva!" I called and I watched as she fluttered in front of my face, her expression worried and shocked.

"Yes, Princess Skjønnhet?" I inwardly winced at the use of my name but it didn't mean anything now.

"I want to leave," I took a sideways glance at Odin and Frey who were sporting different expressions. Frey looked sad and regretful while Odin looked amused. "The company here is boring at best," Tiva gave a quick nod and before I could blink, I was being pulled back through the memory until I stood on the beach again and the sky darkened, leaving me surrounded by black.

* * *

"City! Seattle! SEATTLE HYRMARSH! Don't die on me!" Cash was crouched beside Seattle's limp body on the beach. When she'd been sobbing away from Tory and Oliver's bodies, she'd watched as City brushed her mother's hair out of her face and cried quietly by herself. When she'd touched Oliver's face though, she'd passed out and started to roll lifelessly down the debris of the house. Cash managed to grab her hand and stopped City from having any broken bones or missing limbs. She then threw the bag of City's stuff over her shoulder and carried Seattle bridal style down to the beach where she laid her down.

Then she started freaking out.

It had been twenty minutes and City still hadn't gained consciousness. Cash checked her pulse and saw that it was normal and fine but Cash didn't know that. She'd only been taught where to check the pulse not how to tell if it was too fast, too slow, or normal. Cash thought that Seattle's pulse was fast and she feared that she'd suffered from a heart attack… at fourteen years old.

"C'mon City!" Cash screamed in City's ear, shaking the poor girl vigorously. "You can do it! Pull through!" That's what Seattle woke up to: a screaming Cash and the sky moving hysterically back and forth.

"C-ca-ash," she moaned, trying to keep the contents of her stomach where they belong. "St-sto-stop, p-please," Cash immediately stopped and stared down at her best friend in concern and curiosity.

"What happened to you, City?" Seattle looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

"There's a lot I have to tell you."

* * *

Okay, here it is. Please review, no flames, I'm going to go pass out now because it's almost 10 o'clock on a school night and I'm dead- pooped- whatever. So night darlings! hugs and kisses!


	3. SHIELD part 1

Okay, this took a while- but i warned you! Anyways- this is part one of Seattle and Cash colliding head-on with SHIELD. Enjoy and review please-

* * *

"Cash?" She whispered into her walkie-talkie while jogging quickly but silently through the bush towards the city of lights in the distance. Even though there were trees all around her, she could see the light reflecting off the night sky that came from her intended destination. City slid under a fallen tree; her long brown hair getting caught a few leaves. It was almost down to the small of her back while still in a high ponytail. It had grown so much from when City and Cash had left home two years ago. A bow was slung over her back- it was Olvirin's, rescued from the ruins of her house- and her miniature bo staff was tucked away in a sheath on the side of Seattle's right thigh. In various pockets and folds in her loose Light Elf warrior clothes, was a small handgun and various knives. For the past two years, City and Cash had been training with more lethal weapons instead of their bo staffs that they'd already mastered. Now they were effective with most weapons from every realm.

"I'm in position," Cash's voice came through on the device in Seattle's hand. "This is not a good idea but it's going to be awesome!" she squealed and City smiled to herself.

_"__That can't be right!" Cash took a step towards Tiva in disbelief. "We were right here on the beach! There's no way someone could've been up there; multiple people, without them noticing us!" she turned towards City who was staring out onto the ocean longingly. "We weren't exactly being quiet either!" Cash started pacing back and forth in front of Tiva and Seattle, who snapped out of her daze and focused her remaining energy on Cash who was waving her hands around too. "We were screaming at each other, I taunted City, she yelled at me, __**yelled**__, as in speaking loudly! And then we were laughing and then we walked back and then we saw that!" Cash waved her arms wildly towards the rubble of City's home. City slouched slightly and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing the goose bumps on her arms. _

_"__Enough, _empati_," Tiva commanded sternly, calling Cash the odd name she'd given her when they met five minutes prior._

_"__Another thing," Cash continued, continuing to test Tiva and Seattle's patience. "Why do you keep calling me that? I have a name you know, you can't just make a new one for me because you feel like it!"_

_"__Because in the last hour, the excess magic from Lady Toril and Prince Olvirin released into the air after their death embedded itself in you because you were the only one close enough and able to inherit their magic. When it attached itself to your soul, it was most concerned about_ _Princess Skjønnhet since it was still her parents' magic and even in death, they were concerned and worried for her," Tiva gave Seattle a quick side glance only for it to be ignored. "You felt her emotions and bent them slightly so for a second, Princess Skjønnhet wasn't feeling extreme anger or hate but sadness which isn't exactly a better substitute but nonetheless-"_

_"__Wait a minute," Cash interrupted her, waving her hands out in front of her and shaking her head back and forth. "So I can manipulate other people's emotions?" as Tiva nodded her head, Cash muttered, "that's freaky."_

_"__But the full extent of your powers will only be unleash when Princess Skjønnhet's _Skift_ expires as your magic is connected to hers. You most likely won't experience any symptoms of your magic until that time," Tiva sighed quietly before turning continuing on her original explination. "Anyway, Odin and Frey used an ancient spell, one that only Heimdall can bestow-"_

_"__Like Heimdall the gatekeeper of Asgard?"_

_"__Yes."_

_"__I'm calling bullshit."_

_"__Shut up, Cash!" City suddenly snapped at her, sending a glare in her direction. Cash looked down at the ground as her cheeks reddened. Seattle let out a sigh before nodding in Tiva's direction to continue. Tiva looked between the two girls in slight pity before adopting her stoic expression once again._

_"__Now, only Heimdall can bestow this spell on others. He makes it so he can only see them, he also enchanted the house from afar as to not attract Midgardian attention and or politics," she hesitated before continuing, capturing the attention of City and Cash and revealing there was so much more to this story. "They should have been able to see the both of you training on the beach but they didn't," Tiva pointed at Cash slowly. "They only saw you," Cash's eyes widened but Tiva cut her off before she could even utter a single word. "Because is_ _Princess Skjønnhet is Half-Asgardian and half-Light Elf, she is almost completely invisible to Heimdall, he can only sense the magic that runs through her veins but only barely," Tiva took her eyes off Cash and lowered her hand while turning her attention to City who was still blandly staring out at the sea. "Lady Toril and Prince Olvirin placed a spell on you that they'd been using for years: _ikke her. _It makes them disappear off of Heimdall's watch completely. Because Odin and Frey's warrior were under Heimdall's spell, even if it didn't control or effect their mind or body, you were invisible to them," Tiva looked down at the sand, obviously finished explaining. It was silent for a minute, all three girls just basking in the silence with the waved crashing peacefully on the sand and seagulls in the distance._

_"__Good god," Cash said lazily, breaking the comfortable silence Seattle had been basking in. She turned her head slightly to give Cash a glare out of the corner of her eye. Cash ignored this completely. "So what you're saying is that a god placed a spell on a bunch of other gods to come and assassinate City and her parents, who were also gods, and apparently City is some sort of half one-type-of-god-and-another-tye-of-god and the other gods want to kill her for it," City rolled her eyes and turned back to the water while Tiva opened her mouth to respond. "Wait, I'm not done," Cash interrupted quickly before Tiva had the chance to even utter a single syllable. "Also, there's this one other god that can see everything but he can't see City because of a spell and her blood and you're a fairy who's supposed to protect her from those other scary gods that want to kill her?" Cash waited for an answer and Tiva hesitantly nodded. "Alrighty, That's a lot to process," she then sat down on the sand beside Seattle and everyone basked in the silence once more._

_"__Well good news," Cash broke the silence once more and City barely stifled a groan of irritation. Cash noticed this and smirked while turning to Tiva. "That story is so crazy that there's no way anyone could've made it up so I guess I believe you. Sort of. No, I believe you."_

City was just outside of the facility, watching the workers run around in a panic. On the other side of the base, about two kilometres away from Seattle, fire consumed a building. Smoke danced into the sky and picked up speed to create a small windstorm, not causing any harm but definitely making some SHIELD agents wet themselves. Seattle snickered quietly, Tiva had obviously kept up her end of the bargain: Tiva had to scare the living crap out of the workers and clear the way for Cash and City while they stole the Tesseract. As a portal through space, it was the only way to get to Asgard. They didn't plan on going there right after they took it but decided that it's better safe than sorry. They just had to get through SHIELD's defences to get it.

Seattle looked over at a large oak tree behind the fence to her right; it was one of the biggest trees she'd ever seen in her life but that was expected since it was in the middle of a large forest in northern British Columbia. She turned on her flashlight, climbed up two branches then flashed her flashlight in the direction of the large oak three times. City stared at the tree, waiting for Cash's signal; three bursts of light from the third branch on the right side of tree would signal that Cash had seen City's own signal and they would start their invasion.

A smirk decorated City's face as three flashes of artificial light came from the spot she and Cash had decided on for their signal.

City put the flashlight on the ground by her tree, hidden by the fall's fallen leaves. Seattle climbed higher into the tree, grabbing and hoisting herself higher and higher until she stood on the last sturdy branch in the tree, which was almost fifteen feet from the ground. With incredible grace and fluidity, Seattle leaped from her branch to another in the tree next to her. When her thin moccasin type boots landed on the branch, the tree hardly moved save a few weak leaves that glided down to the ground.

City made her way to the edge of the fence that separated the wild Canadian forest and the chaotic SHIELD base. Finally, she crouched on a branch that overlooked the base perfectly but was still shielded by a thin wall of leaves. City's hair slapped her face a little and the wall of leaves shifted continuously in response to Tiva's wind storm that and yet to cease. _She's really going to have to sleep that off,_ City though to herself. Peering down at the agents running around, she singled out Cash walking calmly towards the main building. She was disguised as an agent in a blue skin-tight, cloth, one piece uniform. Seattle reached around her body and held her father's, and now her bow. She narrowed her eyes as she watched Cash get manhandled by a high-ranking officer. He was holding onto her arm and obviously yelling at her for some reason, City couldn't hear anything because they were almost two hundred metres away from her and even if they were closer, people were yelling and the fire and wind wouldn't help at all.

Seattle drew the string back on her bow and watched out of the corner of her eye as the arrow suddenly appeared. She aimed at the officer's chest but didn't get the chance to shoot as Cash had already broken two of his ribs and dislocated his knee in one fluid motion. Seattle snickered as she saw that no one advanced on Cash or even helped the officer off the ground. They just ran around like chickens with their heads' cut off. City kept her bow drawn as Cash approached the building once more. Only once Cash entered the building and the door closed behind her did City draw the vine slowly towards the wooden bow.

She slung the weapon over her back again and began her decent down the tree. Now that Cash had gotten inside unharmed and unnoticed, City had to go in and provide a distraction to get the attention and panic on her and away from the Tesseract. Seattle's feet touched the ground and she started to run back into the forest to where Tiva was hiding. They'd found a tree with a knothole large enough to hold Tiva's small body and her 'magical ego', as Cash liked to say. Seattle ran soundlessly over leaves, roots, and under branches that dipped down towards the ground. Finally, City spotted the tree- marked with a small piece of purple fabric- and bounded towards it.

"Tiva?" she whispered into the knothole. The response Seattle received was an exhausted and irritated grunt. City smiled faintly at Tiva snarky attitude she'd learnt existed underneath the stoic expression and tones. "You can stop now, phase two is in motion."

"Yeah, yeah," came Tiva's reply as she crawled out of the shadows. Seattle winced as she took in Tiva dishevelled pink hair that was frizzy and snuck to Tiva's sticky face. Large black bags were under her eyes and her skin was coated with sweat from the enchantment. "Just keep talking to me in that stupid Midgardian terms I don't know, children," Tiva grumbled the last part under her breath, under the impression City couldn't hear her. Around her, City could feel the wind dying down, clear sign that Tiva had given back weather's reigns to the Earth.

"Okay, TIVA!" Seattle made sure to reply in a squeaky voice that would do wonders for Tiva's head that was going through the equivalent of a hangover. As predicted, Tiva hissed and put her head between her knees with her hands covering her ears. Chuckling, Seattle added, "I'm going now, be at the rendezvous point in an hour or we're leaving without you," with one last smirk, City turned and ran back into the bush, running towards the SHIELD base again.

Once she reached the perimeter of the fence again, Seattle took in the level of chaos that was still going on. Surprisingly, the chaos had died down and agents were back to doing their own business. The fire on the other side of the base was put out and the area had been cleared.

"Damn," Seattle muttered under her breath, they'd anticipated more of a panic but this was going to make things a little more complicated. City brought her bow around her body and was about to slash a hole in the fence when her radio staticed and Cash's voice came through.

"Seattle, do you copy," Cash whispered and City immediately grabbed her walkie-talkie and replied. When Cash was whispering, something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Cash?" she said in a panicked quiet voice and turned away from the fence into the bush a few metres.

"The damn bird is onto me, he's coming down from his perch and everything!" Shit. After an encounter in Budapest, Hungary, Hawkeye of SHIELD wasn't their favourite person and they weren't his. The Black Widow wasn't too fond of them either. They'd had a vicious and violent fight before the bird had knocked Cash unconscious after breaking her leg in two places and Seattle had knocked the spider on her ass by slamming her head into a metal post. The bird and City had fought until they made a truce to get their partners back to safety. The bird was very clear that the next time he saw either of them they weren't going to live to see the light of day again. This was going to get messy.

"Is the spider there too?"

"Not that I can see, but the point I'm trying to make here is that you need to skip the distraction and get your but in here because he is going to kick my ass!" City heard Cash pause to breath heavily into the radio before continuing, as if she'd been running fast from something. "Please, if it were the spider it'd be different; she's YOUR archenemy but the hawk always seems to go after me! Woah!" there was a squeak and a grunt followed by a thud of a body hitting the ground before someone picked up the radio again.

"Hey there 'darling," the hawk's voice bled through the radio, dripping with amusement. "Long time no see; you going to come join the party?" he waited for a reply but got none as Seattle had already dropped the radio onto the forest floor and started running towards the fence again. With a sharp kitchen knife, she quickly and silently cut a hole in the fence before jumping through it and walking towards the main building, forgetting that she was dressed in elf attire and would ultimately stick out like a sore thumb.

Her pale moccasins walked across the tarmac and she noticed how a few agents stopped to look at her. As City reached for the door handle, she quickly turned and dodged a tazer shot that was aimed for her back. As quick as lightning, she shot down all the agents that were watching her. Seattle hit them in a spot, say shoulder or leg, where they would be conscious and awake so the other agents that came along would have to have their hands full with the care of the others instead of following her into the building.

City walked back into the building while keeping her bow in her hand ready to use. She followed the signs in the halls and passed a few people, scientists and agents. If they passed her without question, she let them go. If they stopped her and started questioning her, she shot them down.

After roaming the halls for five minutes, a loud siren and red flashing lights filled the hallway. Seattle scowled and started running, sprinting in fact down the hall as people started filling out of rooms. As she ran, Seattle started to form a plan in her head. Spotting a room the said _SECURITY SURVEILLANCE_, Seattle ran in that direction. The door was beginning to open but Seattle quickly stopped a small, wimpy kid with glasses from exiting. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties; he was wearing glasses that were way to big for his face, and he looked like he was going to pass out as Seattle aimed her arrow at him. Behind him was a group of younger people that were sporting similar expressions.

"Turn around and go back into the room if you don't want an arrow through your chest," City commanded them and they were quick to comply though they had no idea that she had no intention of killing them if they did as they were told or no. After she closed the door behind her and used the jacket of the first man to cover the window looking out from employees running down the halls outside, City turned back to the group of six that had sat back down in their seats. Some were looking at her with curiosity and fear while others were trying to look anywhere but her.

The Surveillance room was large but poorly used as most of the room was empty save six or so desks in the centre of the room. The wall that was facing the door was covered in screens that showed the entire base. There was one large screen in the centre which medium sized screens surrounded it. There were now windows but there was no need since the whole ceiling was emitting light and made the room look like there were no walls and it was daytime.

Seattle strode over to a girl whose brown hair was up in a messy bun, she wore thin-framed glasses, frayed and ripped jeans, and a black ACDC t-shirt. She looked about 21 and was short, about 5'3 while City stood taller than her at 5'7. She looked up at Seattle with defiance and stubbornness.

"Here's what you're going to do for me… Miss Bryght," she said in a serious tone while taking a peak at the girl's nametag. Abby Bryght it read. Giving the girl a cold stare, Seattle continued, "You're going to bring up the cameras for the Tesseract holding centre on the large screen while having hallway views on the others. I want eyes on everything outside of this room but the Tesseract is the priority," when Abby made no indication of moving, Seattle growled lowly and slammed a knife into the desk just centimetres from her hand. "I'm not feeling very patient today so I suggest you do as I say. _Now._ Or I'll get someone else to," giving the rest of the room a very good impression of a Cheshire Cat grin, City was pleased to see most of the group squirm down into their seats.

"Why are you doing this?" Abby questioned her with defiance but a quick glance back at her told Seattle that the poor girl's confidence had been knocked down a few pegs. "The Tesseract is being used to create clean energy; why do you want to ruin it for everyone else?"

"I need it for my own problems," City muttered, before glaring at Abby once more. "Now, Abby dearest," Seattle brought her hand out and wrapped it around Abby's throat, cutting off her oxygen. Abby brought her hands up to claw at Seattle's but had no success. "Are you going to do as I ask or not?" Abby weakly shook her head and Seattle internally applauded her bravery and loyalty to her morals but also swore at her for her stupidity. "Fine."

City pointed to the first boy she'd stopped from exiting and observed him as he jumped out of his skin at her sudden movement. "You! Do exactly as I told Abby her or I kill her then you!" She yelled at him loud enough to get her point across but not so loud that people could hear it through the door and into the hallway. The boy nodded vigorously and quickly did as he was told.

While he was setting everything up, Seattle dragged Abby Bryght over to a corner in the back of the room with a black swivel chair from her desk. She shoved the girl into the chair and tied her hands with Abby's own jacket. She made sure that her hands were bound so tightly that it hurt just to be careful.

"You should have just done as I asked," Seattle said regretfully to her, causing Abby to look up at her in surprise. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I just wanted you to know that," she continued to whisper, looking away. "You wouldn't understand why I need to do this," Seattle quickly stood up and turned back to the screens which now showed the Tesseract holding room and the hallways around it as well as the halls around the room they were all currently in.

To Seattle's surprise and frustration, the Tesseract chamber was up and running with scientists and guards. She'd hoped that everyone would have been evacuated from the building, including the scientists. Now she'd have to lure to scientists out or control them long enough to grab the Tesseract and get out. Or… Seattle suddenly grinned, the perfect plan popped into her head. Seattle looked

"Does this room have a base-wide PA system?" City questioned the boy who nodded furiously. "Good. But before you bring that up give me a view of all side hallways, small rooms, and closets. Don't miss any," Seattle told him and the boy and he and the others in the room started typing away commands into their computers. After about fifteen seconds, the feeds of the main hallways were replaced with various closets and tiny rooms—most happened to be offices—and dark corridors that looked like they'd seen better days. The Tesseract chamber was still proudly sitting in the middle.

"Put the main hallway feeds back up here, here, here and… here," City pointed to four rooms that were obviously empty and had them replaced with more useful images. Seattle then scanned each room in turn for any traces of Cash or the bird. After eliminating almost sixty rooms and hallways and wasting twenty minutes, City found it.

"Get rid of everything except for the main halls, the Tesseract chamber and this room," City said, without turning around. Soon the image was enlarged and Seattle got a good look at what was going on. …Cash sat in a chair in front of a desk in a dark office. Her hands were tied together behind her back and Cash's long black hair had fallen from its braid and was in tangles around her face. The bird was leaning on the desk and scratching the end of one of his arrows. City squinted as she stressed to identify the person sitting behind the desk. She could only see black leather hands pressed down onto the top of the desk.

"Can we listen in on this room without the people in it being alerted?" Seattle asked the group, turning around to look at them. A girl with straight ginger hair answer nervously:

"Um, n-no," she almost whispered, looking up at City and playing with her hands. "There will be, um, a ping when we, uh, when we start to listen in," she stuttered along, exhaling when she finished talking and returned to looking down at her hands.

"Okay," City said softly, talking more to herself than the people in front of her. "Let's interrupt them I guess," she pointed to the first boy and commanded, "Make it so I can talk from this end too," he nodded and all of a sudden voices flew in through the speakers on either side of the screen.

"Ugh, what now?" Seattle heard a man's gruff voice come through the speakers. "We're dealing with a serious security breach Morrison. Get your ass out of the building or I'll have security escort you" he continued, obviously impatient to get back to Cash, who, in City's opinion, looked seriously smug. She'd never know how Cash knew when she was the one pulling the strings.

"Naw," City said slowly, enjoying how Hawkeye's head shot up quickly to glare at the security camera. "I'm good and I know you have a SERIOUS security breach, I'm flattered by the way."

"I was told you were going to show up sooner or later," the man continued, sounding much more eager to talk now. Seattle watched as a figure walked around the side of the desk and into the view of the camera. He was a tall, black man. He wore a black trench coat, black pants and a black shirt. Under his dark clothes, I could make out the fact that he was fit and strong. His face was very severe, and his dark eyes were narrowed at the camera.

"Aww!" Seattle whined pathetically and watched as the mystery man narrowed his eyes dangerously in an act of intimidation. "You ruined the surprise, birdman! Not cool!" Hawkeye just accepted the taunt in stride: examining the top of one of his arrows and glaring Cash down.

"So," the mystery man continued as if she hadn't even talked. Grasping his hands in front of his body, he reached around the desk and pulled out a small folder. "You and your friend here don't seem to exist on any of our data bases so we made up names for the two of you—I hope you don't mind and if you do, well, that's too bad."

"Is this supposed to be some form of intimidation?"

"Yes, something like that."

"It's not working, like at all," Seattle grinned at his subtle scowl. He quickly opened the folder and flipped through it before slamming it shut and tossing it back on the desk, forcing the contents to spill out slightly.

"That's what I said!" Cash enthusiastically added her input, earning her a fist from the bird atop her hand that was tied to the arms of her chair. "Mother f!"

"Can it," the man commanded her, his eyes never leaving the camera. Surprisingly, Cash did as she was told. "Now, I can only guess that you two are-"

"Alright big boy, I'm going to stop you right there," City cut him off, walking back to Abby's corner, hoisting her up and dragging her over in front of the screens. She did all this while saying, "I'm on a very tight schedule you see. I want to go home and order some Chinese food, or Japanese, or any kind of food that has noodles. I might even get Italian; they make good noodles. But that's beside the point. You have something that belongs so my people," Seattle barely noticed mher voice getting sharper and sharper with each word. She also didn't notice the venom that began to seep off of her tongue. Everyone else did though and the techs in the room sunk lower into their chairs. Abby's eye's widened but didn't struggle—to struggle would be suicide. "You **will** return the Tesseract to me or I, well," Seattle gave Morrison a pointed look. "Bring up video communication, now."

A second later, Fury and Hawkeye turned towards the screen behind the desk to see City and Abby Bryght's faces, one sporting controlled anger while the other showed vulnerability and fear. Seattle smirked at them; she now had a better view of them and could take in more of this mystery man's features. Up close he was obviously older, maybe early to mid-forties. Age lines decorated his face along with a few scars. He had a goatee but that was it because he was also bald.

Seattle observed silently as Barton's face mimicked one of surprise before morphing into one of anger. City grinned in delight, already having lost herself to insanity and desperation. Having something to hold over Hawkeye's head with a single, making him move with her every word.

Grinning madly, City held Abby preciously and began stroking the side of her face. The girl shivered under her fingertips.

"I wouldn't want Abby here to get caught in the cross-fire," Barton's face scrunched up in concern and frustration as City began stroking Abby's chin then throat. "She's so pretty, don't you think, bird?"

"Get your hands off her you sick bit-"

"Enough, Barton," the other man cut him off with an icy look before turning back to the screen where Seattle waited patiently. "Why do you assume that the Tesseract belongs to you?" Fury watched in triumph as Seattle's face morphed into a blank expression.

"Just give it to me and the pretty lady doesn't get her throat slit."

"I don't believe you'll do it."

"Don't temp me, I tend to surprise people."

"So do we," he said, gesturing to Cash who sat patiently in the chair. City felt a headache coming on. "I propose a trade."

* * *

I won't update the next chapter without 2 reviews- that's my ultimatum.


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